Cover story: She's got it: She's fast, she's filthy, she's fifty

Who says you cant be a sex siren at the age of 50? Chrissy Iley finds Marie Helvin a model of racy living

“I’m amazed that I’m sitting here doing this interview with you. Do you know, if someone had told me 10 years ago that I’d be here, I’d have staked my life that I wouldn’t.”

Marie Helvin and I are sitting in Claridge’s with afternoon-tea sandwiches and Chablis between us and a lot of other debris. She is in shock not only because “at 50 years old, the last thing I thought I’d be doing was modelling again”, but also because “it’s so shocking to me that I’m here with you”.

There is a reason for that. Apparently, she had been very upset about something I wrote 15 years ago. Fifteen years ago?

I couldn’t remember ever meeting her before. I had to ask her, what did I do? Well, I went to a party at Cliveden and reported that she was wearing a vile dress. She was so hurt, she